The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1887-11-25
oUSTED AT NINETY-FOuR.
A Clerk Who Had Held Office Forty.
Eight Years.

Othniel eager, who is called in Norwich
the ..honestest man in the world" was
defeated recently for town clerk, an Office
he had held continuously since October
IS. 1859. IL was said that before his de-
feat he had been longer in continuous
pubIic service than any other officebolder
in the country. Mr. eager is in his
ninety-fourth year. In many of the elec-
tions his name was on the tickets of all
parties, and frequently he received the
entire vote cast In town elections. He
was slow and precise in his Office methods
and business men were often veXed on
account of his tedious gait; yet every one
liked to see his wrlnkled face and bowed
head at the town clerks desk, his palms.
taking hand plodding laboriously and al
most painfully over the clean Iages of
ledger and account books, because evtry
one felt that, although ne was slow, he
was as honest as the day was long, and
that every penny of the towns money
was as safe with him as with the Record
ing Angel. People often stopped in the
street, opposite the window of the clerks
Office, to watch him for moment; then
passed on after saying to each other:
"Well, there's one honest man left in the
world. and there he is, Othniel Gager,"
Mr.. eager was beaten by less than
twenty votes, the reason for his defeat
being that the business of the Office de-
manded n liveIier, if less punctilious,
officer. The venerable clerk has become
very feeble; he has long walked with a
crutch and cane, and had to ride in a
hack to and from his office. But his
handwriting is just as round, clean, and
handsome as it was forty-eight years ago.
There never was blot on the neat pages
of the town accounts-lnk did not dare to
play any tricks on the clerks solemn pen
and the writing is as easy to read as is
print. There is not hint OF tremulous-
ness in a single line in the long row of
leather-hound books that have been writ
ten since 1889. Mr.. eager never used
glasses; his eyes are as good to-day as
they ever were.
A profound hush always reigned in Nr.
Gager's office; he would not tolerate
levity in connection with the serious and
conscientious work of recording the an
nails of debit and credit. Sometimes q
stirring, NOISY person would gallop into the
room and begin to chatter, but the SOM
ber-garbed clerk had only TO lift his head
slowly out of his books and look at the
man, and instantly the sanctuary hush
was restored. Mr.. eager wrote with his
face nearly on level with the page, and
his mouth when he was writing was
drawn up in a schoolboy pucker that was
solemn and cOmical at the same time.
1t took him about minute 10 get ready
to write a word, and another minute to
write it, but when the word was written
IL was finished work.
Mr.. eager has been weak physically all
his life, and when he was a young man
his parents we're afraid that he would not
live till middle age, yet he never was
seriously i'll. lie was married twice and
is a widower. Although he has lost his
clerkship he still holds the offices of town
treasurer and treasurer of the town de-
posit fund. In the election on Monday
he received 1923 votes and his Democratic
opponent 81 in the contest for those
offices. Mr.. eager dwells in a pleasant
cottage at Norwich Town and has q COM
Portable fortune.-NOrlCich Corr. Nclr
YOE3. Sun.